The Pontis Foundation is sharing Slovak Transition Experience with Tunisia

Representatives of the Tunisian organization I Watch took part in a training cycle aimed at public policy, advocacy and communication with the public and the government, in Slovakia on 2nd-10th October 2012.

Revolution, political transformation, new constitution and transition to democracy are among the most frequently used words in Tunisia today. The whole society is going through important changes which will determine the future development of the country. „Civil society in Tunisia is young. More than anything else it needs to gain knowledge about what activities it can do in relation to the people and government,” thinks Mouheb Garoui, the president of I Watch which was formed during the Jasmine Revolution. This organization consists mainly of young people whose aim is to watch over transparency, political responsibility and to fight the corruption in the country. At the same time, I Watch is one of the partner organizations of Pontis Foundation which assists in sharing the Slovak transition experience in Tunisia. The objective of this cooperation is to exchange the experience in the area of civil society development during the democratic transition and in supporting the civic engagement in public affairs and democratic institution building.

During the expert breakfast on Wednesday 10th October in Bratislava, Mouheb Garoui discussed with Filip Vagač, the Plenipotentiary of the Slovak Government for Development of Civil Society, and with Lujza Richterová, of the Slovak Ministry of Foreign Affairs, coordinator of the Slovakia-Netherlands Task Force on Tunisia under Community of Democracies. The conclusion of the discussion was that out of all the countries of the Arab Spring, Tunisia is the one with the most stable and linear progress towards democracy. The emerging civil society in the country will keep playing an important role in the process of ongoing political transformation; therefore the support to this sector is essential. Lujza Richterová said that the cooperation with Tunisian institutions and civil society had kicked off very well. However, the process of democracy building is a long run and that is why the question of long term cooperation is vital. The Slovak Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Matters confirmed that Slovakia will soon strengthen its presence in Tunisia through opening of a new embassy in capital city Tunis.

More information can be found here.
In the photo: participants at the expert breakfast.

Information provided by Petra Nagyová, Pontis Foundation